Okaya, a four-year-old German Shepherd named after one of the most beautiful cities in Japan, went missing for four weeks. And during those weeks, her owners Colin Browning and Maria Odler of Foxboro went through such a bad time that it felt like they were living in a nightmare. But thankfully, through the help of communities, Okaya got back home safely.
Colin and Maria were at Stop & Shop on Main Street in Foxboro when they decided to move Okaya from the front seat to the back seat. Unfortunately, when they opened the car’s door, Okaya quickly seized the opportunity and went running away.
But soon after Okaya’s disappearance, communities came together to find her. People immediately hung posters of her on telephone poles and business windows. Colin also hired the services of a professional dog tracker named Jamie Genereaux who used chicken as bait and motion-activated cameras where any movement is tracked and sent to his iPhone.
Colin also used social media to help their search. He posted on the PawBoost Facebook page to inform people about their lost dog and it quickly got to almost 50,000 views.
As days and weeks passed, there were several sightings of Okaya reported but because she moved around a lot so no one couldn’t really capture her. But the police tried to step up their searches where Okaya was reportedly sighted. Though according to Colin, Okaya is quite a nervous dog and she didn’t really like to be approached by strangers. That was why it was not surprising that she would run away every time she was seen.
Neighbors of Colin and Maria soon formed small groups and joined in the search force. One of them was Jim who drove around the neighborhood trying to look for Okaya. He, along with other individuals, put some food out and even set up cameras to see if she ever visited houses. They asked for permission from house owners and everyone agreed to help.
And then finally after four long weeks, Colin got several calls that informed him that Okaya might be at the Pawtucket Animal Shelter which was about 15 miles away from their home. But since he got the calls near the closing time that day, he visited the shelter the very next day. When he arrived at the shelter, they confirmed the microchip number and there was a joyous reunion between the two.
Now, Okaya is happily resting with her owners Colin and Maria. It was definitely a timely homecoming and they were able to celebrate the holidays as a complete family.
Source: The Sun Chronicle